Saturday, October 21, 2017

ESCALATION: Spain Will Remove Catalonian Leader

Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, center, attended a protest in Barcelona on Sunday against the imprisonment of two Catalan pro-independence leaders. Credit (via NYT)

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of Spain has announced he will remove the leadership of the Catalonia administration and initiate a process of direct rule by the central government in Madrid.

Rajoy said in addition to removing Catalan leader, Carles. Puigdemont, and the rest of his separatist administration from office, he would also take charge of Catalonia’s autonomous police force and the Catalan center for telecommunications.

It should be kept in mind that, while this is an aggressive move by Rajoy, this is a battle between two groups seeking to control Catalonian people, one based in Madrid and one based within Catalonia, and that the Catalonian group would desire to rule in a much more authoritarian interventionist fashion. Thus, from a libertarian perspective, for those living in Catalonia, there is not much reason to cheer on the Catalonian secession movement.

1 comment:

Robert, is there anything the Spanish government could do that would cause you to revisit your conclusion about the relative merits of secession? Madrid has violently tried to shut down a mere referendum, and now it is proposing to reverse major aspects of Catalonian autonomy: removing the leadership, moving to direct rule, and taking charge of the police and communications. You say "the Catalonian group would desire to rule in a much more authoritarian interventionist fashion." First of all, that is speculation, since they haven't had the chance to rule yet, whereas what Madrid is doing is known. Second, what would a "more authoritarian interventionist fashion" look like?

I'm not in favor of anyone being ruled against their will, but I'm wondering how you make the relative evaluation here.